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Vermont's telecom regulators are losing patience with FairPoint
FairPoint's time as an operating service provider in Vermont continues to be on the ropes as frustrated regulators launched an investigation to possibly revoke the ILEC's right to continue operating in the state. On Monday, Vermont's Public Service Board pressed current FairPoint President Peter Nixon in a meeting about the ILEC's inability to resolve customer service issues. The board also mandated that FairPoint respond to a formal petition filed in July where Vermont state officials wanted an investigation into whether the operator should be allowed to operate in the state.
"As we said in our petition, if FairPoint cannot raise its service quality to an acceptable level, it's our opinion that we've got to look at whether they should be operating the incumbent phone company here," said James Porter III, special counsel to the Public Service Board in an Associated Press article.
Vermont is not the only state where FairPoint has had network and operational issues. Both Maine and New Hampshire have had similar issues that the ILEC has yet to resolve. Maine regulators turned down FairPoint's plea to waive $845,000 in penalties it owed to local wholesale service competitive service provider customers that leverage the ILEC's network facilities. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, the state Public Utilities Commission wants to launch a new investigation to get to the bottom of FairPoint's issues.
For more:
- Forbes/Associated Press has this article
Related articles
Note to FairPoint Communications: Focus on the fundamentals
FairPoint's Vermont network problems continue to swell
From bad to worse for FairPoint in Vermont
FairPoint tries to tackle New Hampshire billing issues
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Comments
Posted by Gail G | October 21, 2009 - 3:52pm
On October12, an article was in the Brattleboro Reformer about Fairpoint offering additional high speed internet for an addition 1-2K homes. I'm one of the homes they will cover. I have been on the phone with them since the article came out because I work from home and am trying to move there. But I need high speed internet and don't want Satellite. I simply can't afford it. So I was very excited. But now....I've gotten nowhere and I don't know when it will be available. Since all my move plans hinge on Internet access....I'm in a bind. I waited almost a year to get my phone line in there...a bunch of screwups and weather got in the way...but I can tell you I'm not excited anymore.
Posted by Anonymous | August 24, 2009 - 2:28pm
so many misguided people. Fairpoint had the opportunity to continue on Verizon's operating systems prior to going on there own. It was FAIRPOINT who decided to cut loose, rather than stay on the VZ supported systems for another two months (they have to stay at two month increments), there were several other times they were supposed to go on their own, but per the agreement they could stay on VZ's systems. Fairpoint bit off more than they could chew, they did not inherit anyones mess, they simply could not get the scope and depth of this type of transition.
Posted by Anonymous | August 12, 2009 - 1:25pm
Once Verizon threw the switch over to FairPoint for service order and billing it eliminated Verizons from being in any position to offer any more assistance. Fairpoint, Cap Gemini, Maine-Hew Hampshire-Vermont PUCs and anyother consulting company involved are all to blame for this mess. Everyone of them under estimated this transition and are still doing so. This was a failure in the making from the very get go.
Posted by John Celentano | August 12, 2009 - 12:26pm
I think Verizon should step up and help Fairpoint with the transition just as Verizon will do with Frontier. Verizon simply unloaded the New England properties on Fairpoint, and walked away. Now Fairpoint is left to unravel the mess it inherited. And it is getting whacked by the PUCs - unfairly I think!
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